William & Mary reduced its carbon emissions 16 percent per
square foot of building space since 2002, according to the College's first
official greenhouse gas inventory released this week.

The inventory, completed by Environmental Science & Policy
Program Director and Biology Professor John Swaddle and Lauren Edmonds '11,
points to efficiency improvements to the on-campus power plant as the largest
source of greenhouse gas emission reductions. The inventory resulted from their
work on the Committee on Sustainability (COS).

The reduction, which averages to 2.5 percent per member of the
College community, is the latest item of good news in the ongoing efforts to
improve environmental sustainability at the College.

"This is a trajectory that beats
almost all the federal, state, and even international emissions reductions
targets out there," Swaddle noted, citing the great efforts of his
collaborators. "Lauren did a wonderful job of coordinating dozens of faculty,
staff, and students to pull this information together, and Dan
Patterson, our campus energy manager, deserves a hearty pat on the back for
many of these improvements."

A year ago, President Taylor Reveley appointed COS, which is now
made up of more than 130 faculty, staff, student and administrator volunteers
in three subcommittees and 10 working groups. As co-chairs of COS's Science and
Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), Edmonds and Swaddle were tasked in the
fall of 2008 to create a model of the Williamsburg campus's greenhouse gas
emissions. The report is
the result of a year of collecting and analyzing emissions data on the
College's fuel use, electricity use, travel, and waste. The information was
analyzed using a modified database workbook created by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change that was originally meant for nation-scale emissions
data.

Patterson provided much of the data, which was split into three
categories, or "scopes," based on institutional control over each set of
emissions. By organizing emissions data into the three categories of produced
energy, purchased energy, and emissions from transportation and waste, Edmonds
and Swaddle hoped to gain more insight into increases and reductions in each
category. Scope 1, covering direct emissions from on-campus boiler plants, saw
the largest reduction over the audit's time scale. Much of the reduction can be
attributed to large-scale facilities projects completed recently, Patterson
said.

"The greatest improvements that have been achieved in the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are due to the investments for utility
infrastructure," he said. "Most notable were the
abandonment of a high-temperature hot water loop and the creation of
a central plant beneath Swem Library. This not only improved
energy efficiencies but provided greater flexibility for the
recent growth on the west side of the campus."

The largest source of the College's greenhouse gas emissions came
from Scope 2, which contained purchased energy, most of which is provided by
coal-fired power plants. These plants "emit the
most CO2 per unit of electricity of any fuel source," Edmonds says, adding that large-scale emissions
reductions will be difficult "without addressing these emissions by increasing
our purchasing of clean energy or reducing our energy use greatly."

Patterson further added that Facilities Management continues to
identify new projects that are innovative and cost effective in its effort to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"A significant area of opportunity for improving energy
efficiency and reducing costs are building controls. Many of the existing
buildings on campus use older technologies that waste energy and provide
inadequate conditioning," Patterson said.

Swaddle emphasized the ability of individuals in the College
community to create necessary changes. "We have to find ways to reduce our electricity use through
both technological and efficiency improvements, but we also have to facilitate
significant behavioral change."

He added,
"If every member of our community turned on just half the lights in their
office, unplugged their appliances when not in use, turned down the heat by two
degrees in winter, and their AC cooling up by two degrees in summer, then we
could collectively make a big difference as well as save a lot of money for the
College."

The
full report can be read here. To
learn more about sustainability at W&M and the Committee on Sustainability,
visit www.wm.edu/sustainability.

Sustainability Tips

Reduce waste by carrying a reusable water bottle-refill it rather than buying plastic bottles of water.

Cut the cord! Be sure to turn off your lights and appliances when you’re not using them. Many electronic devices continue to drain energy even when they're turned off, so unplug your computers, cable boxes, and TVs, when they're not in use.

Avoid high speeds. Fuel efficiency drops rapidly above 60 mph.

Avoid printing out documents that easily can be read and filed electronically.

Take public transport, carpool, walk or cycle instead of driving. You’ll save money, get fit and reduce your contribution to climate change.

Too often plastic and paper grocery bags end up sitting in landfills! Transport shopping using your own refillable bags—you can carry more and you’re saving the environment.

Save a tree by switching to electronic billing. Most utilities, credit card companies, and banks now offer this handy service.

Save hundreds of gallons of water by washing only full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher.

Avoid idling. Turn off your car whenever possible.

If you're flying with checked luggage, try to pack less. The more you carry, the more fuel the plane burns.

Carrying your own coffee mug is a great way to cut down on waste…Especially if you’re addicted to caffeine!

Remove yourself from junk mailing lists. Does anyone need all those catalogues?

Save energy and stop your sweaters from shrinking! Use cold water plus a cold water detergent in your washing machine.

Turning your thermostat down by one degree on a warm winter’s night saves you 3% on your heating bill.

Here comes the sun! During winter months, keeping your window curtains open on south-facing windows lets the sun heat your home naturally during the day.

Save energy and prevent fires by regularly cleaning out your dryer vent to make sure it’s not blocked.

Add air to the tires of your car so they're properly inflated—you’ll get better mileage.

Use task lighting. Instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it.

Buying a new appliance? Be sure to look for the Energy Star label, which tells you that that appliance has met strict efficiency guidelines set by EPA and DOE.